Hospital equipment



Feb. 5, 1946. T. B. MERWIN HOSPITAL EQUIPMENT 'iled sept. 11, 1944 vE Sheecs--Sheet 1 lll w/LY/Z W MW Feb. 5, 1946, T. B. MERwlN HOSPITAL EQUIPMENT Filed sept. 11, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet- 2 Patented Feb. 5, 1946 UNITED `STATES PATENT OFFICE l HOSPITAL EQUIPMENT i ThomaszB. Merwim Woodstock,.lll. p Application september l11, i944,- serial No. 553,612

(ollas-112) Y 6. Claims.

. v k The. presentinvention relates to hospital equipment and more particularly to: meansfor replacing the ordinary bed pan or urinal now commonly used.` It is a well. known fact that the ordinary bed pan isa very diicult device for use withpatients who are badly incapacitated. This ispartly due tothe fact that itis diiiicult to place the bed pan under the patient and alsol very uncomfortable 'to` the patient.- According to. the present invention much of the diiculty of placing the bed pan under the patient and more of the discomfort are eliminated.

My invention contemplates the provision of a novel device which cooperates with a bed mattress having a removable section so as to eliminate the necessity of lifting the' patient ontothe bed pan and enables the attendant'` toflush away the discharge fromv the patient to a convenient storage receptacle and therebyl eliminate the foul odors Without disturbing the patient. Replacement of the removable section or the mattress can also be accomplishedwith' a minimum disturbance of the patient.

The novelA features and advantages ot the invention will appear more fully from the following description and the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred. form of the inventionv is shown. It should be understood however, that the drawings and description areillustrative only and are not to be taken as limiting the invention embodies ailush bowl which is provided with aV seat-portion 6 beneath. which a ring 1. is secured around the inner rim of the bowl. This ring is provided with a; multiplicity of small outletsl 8 adapted to discharge. Water intov the: bowl Siso as to flush1v and. wash. away any solid matter.. The flush bowl hasv aV tubular sloping outlet 9 that leads toy a discharge box: I 0 which. is suitably mounted; in a. manner hereinafter described. so that it, may be vertically adjusted to accommodate.- the iiush bowlv to beds. of diierent heights.

Asyshowrr in the. drawings, a bed frame. Il is provided with suitable springs. |32' onwhicha mat.- tress I3 is mounted. The mattress is of the standardi construction except for the fact that it has a rectangular'section I4 that is removable. This rectangular, section is of suflicient width cross:- wise of the.A mattress to enable the patientto lie directly over the removable section. The width of the removable. section is such as to accommo date the bowl 5 with a` small clearance at each side. n

The discharge` box l0. has a cap |55y screw threaded. into thetop thereof. This cap serves as a mounting. for apipe section l`6` whichis Welded to the cap. The pipe section is connected to a hand valve I'l that has an operatingl handle t8.. The pipe section l!!` connects the valve f1' by n a. flanged joint 251 to an inlet pipe. 2l leading to av nipple 22 that connectsywi'th the ring 1'. The

pipe section I6 also has an upturned end 23y to,

Which'a stand pipe 24` is secured. The stand pipe 2.4.15 threaded. into a bottomv coupling 25'of the Water tank Z6. Thewater tank is of'suicient size to carry adequate supply of 'water forushing the bowl 5. Itis indeed capable of flushing, the bowl more than once so that the apparatus can be used a plurality of timesv before. it becomes necessar Vboxismounted on a pipe section 2T that i's ver tically slidable in a tubular support 28. The tubular support 28 is carried by a framework which includes a block` 2'9 having. oppositely directed axleportions 30 and 3l. thereon. These axlev portions mount wheels 32 and 33. The lower end of the tubular support 28 is closed. by a cap 34 which threads into the end of the member and. serves as a. stop to. eliminate the downward. movement of the pipe section 21.

Athirdwheel 34 ismounted by a yoke 35having a shaft 36 Welded thereto. The shaft 36. extends upwardly through the lower and the upper portions 3.1v and 38` of abracket, one end 39. of which is fastened tothe cap 34 by screws and-.the other end 40 of` which is fastened to the. tubular support 28` by screws. The shaft. 35. is. secured. by a nut 4|k and a lock nut; 42 so that itcan rotate in the bracket.` Suitablespacers 43 and` 4.4 are pro.- vided for the shaft y 3B. A. shaftl 45 rotatably mounts the Wheel 34 in the` bracket 35. n

The box l0 hasV an outlet nipple 46s mounted thereon at right angles to the tubular. drain 9..

A` pipe 4T is threaded into the nipple 46 and car.- ries an'elbow 48 which in turn connects-to a pipe section 49- that carries a storage receptacle 50. The storage receptacle comprises a coverV section 5I which is welded securely to thel pipe section 4.9 :and a body section 52. which is hinged, tothe coverxse'ction and. they pipe: section. The hinge construction; comprises; two. ears; 53. and 54. on: the

l coverv section, a hinge pin 55, and a bar 55 which Q xed thereto.

Y no problem.

is Vwelded to the body section Y52 and bent around Ythe hinge pin 55. The body section 52 is shapedas shown so that it can be tilted about the hinge and emptied readily into a disposal place. ItV has a handle 51 thereon. The cover section 5| yprefer-` ably carries a deodorantV container 5 3 that has lan outlet 159 through the cover.. A.ny suitable means may f beprovidedin the container regulat-l ring the discharge of the deodorant;V l

Any Vdesirable lifting mechanism may be pro` The mechanismshown includes *a bracket Vconduit means for carrying the ushed materials from the flush bowl to the storageY receptacle, said bowl, said flushing means, receptacle and conduit means being secured to a single part Vof said support, and means on said support for moving said partV up and down.VV

s. A'portabie device of the characteruescribed adaptedfor use with mattresses havingf'a remjovable section at one side thereof,fsaid"device com- `prising a wheeled support, a flush bowl, means to Y A deliver iiushing water to said bowl, a storagere- V'vided forvraising and lowering the pipe'secticmV l 21;

link 62 is pivoted to the ear.6| and-at its lower y vend isalso pivoted by a pin and slot 'connectionf to a lever armv 63. YThe lever arm 63 ispivo'ted at 64 t0 la bracket .65 that is mounted on the axlev portion 30. Y`Thelower end 65,",of theA lever arm hasa slot to receive a pin 56`which connects the arm toone endof a shaft 61. 'The' shaft'l ex-` teIi-ds through af portionof the block 29V Which servesasa Vguide'andis threaded through Va beveled gear 68. Thev beveled gear Y|58 meshes with` a second beveled gear 69; `The gear BShas a shaft The shaft 'is journaled in Yal bracket 7] that is mounted onjthe shaft portion V3l and also on'. the block 29. "The shaft 'H) extends upwardly .past the bracket" 6U and is securedv thereon by arbearing block 12;' A hand 'wheel' Y'i3 is 'fixed on the'end Aof vthe shaft 10 for rotating it..V It is believed to be evident that rotation;

of the shaft 'l0 andthe gears 68 and 69 will effect.` a raisingY or lowering Yof thebox I9 and the p'ipe VV section 2l.'V t l As stated hereinbefore the raising and lower-` ing mechanism shown is merely one of various typesvk thatimay' be employed. A standard jack,` either hydraulic or mechanical, may be adapted n 40 The operation of the deviceis believed to'beV i, clear from the Vforegoing description. It provides: Ya simple portable bed pan unit that eliminatesv l much of the difiiculty now en-counteredyiri the y use'of hospital bed pans. It 1is adaptable ,to'a l wide variety of bed heights'and requires only that suitableY provision be made in the mattress to rejceive the bowl.

for this purpose.

Mattresses with removable sectionsV are known in the art From the foregoing 'description it' is believed that'the nature and advantages of the present f invention will be readily apparentv to those skilled in this'art. Y

Having thus described 'my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A portable device ofthe character described s adapted for use with mattresses having a remov- 'able section atvone side thereof, ysaid device comprising a wheeled support, a flush bowl, means to .i deliver ushing water Ato said'bowl, a'storag'ev receptacle below thel leveljof the flush bowl, and

conduit meansforcarrying the flushed materials fromgthe flush bowl to the storage receptacle,

'saidfbowl, said flushing means, receptacle and -1 Y 3- conduit means being movably mounted on said l support whereby they vmay be adjusted with' respect to the bed. i

2j A portabledevice of the character described and therefore present ceptacle below the level of the flush bowl; and

conduitmeans for carryingthe ushed'materials from the'flushbowl to the storage receptacle, said f bowl, said flushing means, receptacle and. conduit v,means beingsecured to a single part of said support, and means on said support for moving said part up and down, said storagey receptacle being 'hinged to swing between a storage position and yan emptying position.r

4. A portable device of the character described Vadapted'for use with mattresses having a removable section at one side thereof, said device comprising a wheeled support, a tubular guide mounted on the support, astem mounted forfvertical fmovement in said guide, afhollow head supported by said stem, a ush bowl having a laterally andv downwardly extending rigid support and drainV ,conduit emptyinginto said head and supported thereby, a storage receptacle, an upwardly and laterally extending, rigid conduit `leading from thetop cover of the receptacle vto the head and Y bowl and having aA valved outlet to the bowl, VandV Y fixed to the head of the cover whereby Vto support the receptacle 'from the head, a flush tank mounted on said head above the level of the flush means to move the stem up and down in said guide.

5. A portable device of the character described adapted for use with mattresses having a removable section at one side thereof, said device comv prising a wheeled support, a tubular guide mounted onfthe support, a stem'mounted for vertical i Vmovement in said guide, a hollow head supported by said stem, a ilush bowl having a laterally and downwardly extending rigid support and drain Yconduit emptying 'into said head and supported thereby, a storage receptacle, an upwardly and laterally extending rigid conduit leading from the top' cover of the receptacle to the headfand fixed to .the head and the ,cover whereby to sup- Vport the receptacle Vfrom the head, the body of 'said' receptacle being hinged 'to said cover to swing downwardly away from the cover for opening the receptacle "and emptying its contents, a

flush tank mounted on said head above the level of the iiush bowl and havingA a, valved outlet to the bowl, and means tomove the stem up and down in said guide.V l

6. A portable device ofthe characterY described adapted for use with mattresses having a remov-Y able section at one side thereof, said device'comprising a wheeled support, a flush bowl, means to deliver flushing water to said bowla storage receptacle below the level of the iiush bowl, and conduit means for carryingthe flushed materials fromA the flush bowl to the storage receptacle, said conduit means comprising pipes supporting the flush bowl and the storage receptacle, the

receptacle having a cover fixed tothe pipe and Y the body portion being hinged to said cover to THOMAS B. MERWIN 

